In The Idiot , Prince Myshkin, a saintly man, is thrust into the heart of a society obsessed with wealth, power, and sexual conquest. He soon finds himself at the center of a violent love triangle in which a notorious woman and a beautiful young girl become rivals for his affections. Extortion, scandal, and murder follow, as Dostoevsky's "positively... more...

Shooting arrows at American business and the ethic of self-advancement, Lewis gives us Babbitt , a social-climbing, hopelessly middle-class oaf. By skewering the borgeousie, Babbitt gives us social criticism and a new type of character that reappears in American arts and letters. more...

A seemingly routine day is taken apart moment by moment and thought by thought, revealing an influence on Ms. Woolf by Freud and James Joyce. As a society woman makes her way through her day, events, people, and memories intrude, and the web of life that holds this one woman reveals the depths of existence. more...

These novels of pirates on the high seas and intrigue in the Scottish highlands were written on a challenge by Stevenson's teenage stepson to "write something really interesting." The results are these fast-moving and adventurous books, simple and entertaining. more...

This is the book that chronicled the lives and times of "the Lost Generation," American expatriates that filled Europe between the world wars. Hemingway's expatriates are there for two different reasons: one is there solely for entertainment, the other, to heal from the horrors of war and create something worth living for. Wounded Jake Barnes narrates... more...

The meaninglessness and randomness of life was a constant theme in Camus's writing. This story is absurd, yet touches a chord within the reader that surely will resonate for years to come. A man is condemned to beheading because he was indifferent at his mother's funeral. In prison he finds freedom and happiness. Death becomes his greatest moment of... more...

Nobel prize-winning Albert Camus was an existentialist whose view of humanity and the human condition suffered from a large brushstroke of bleakness. This book concerns a doctor who is called to care for people during a growing epidemic. more...

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in the series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. Betrayal and manipulation lie at the heart of Othello . Keep up with all... more...

Take a journey into the daily life of a small town with CliffsNotes Our Town. Meet Thornton Wilder's beloved characters Emily Webb and George Gibb and watch as they experience daily life, fall in love, and face tragedy. What moments of your own life would you choose to live over again if given the chance? You can count on CliffsNotes to... more...